We’re back in action! It’s been a beautiful whirlwind of life since I last posted (starting a business, getting married, moving… you know, that sort of thing) and so, not only am I committed to digging myself out of the backlog of posts owed, but I’m excited to do so with new energy, new perspective and all the delicious details.
Now- about these Jamaican rum-spiked coconut banana muffins. They’re my greatest creation to date (in my humble opinion) and thus the absolute best way to revitalize this shared diary of my culinary escapades. These are so incredibly delicious I just had to write up the recipe immediately! (And when I say immediately, I mean the oven is still hot, the (remaining) muffins are still cooling on the rack and our apartment still smells like banana-y goodness. I have to do this now… otherwise, I’ll eat the rest of them.)
I got this idea from the bananas that my mom pawned off on me for me to “do something with.” (Mind you, these make the 4th bunch of bananas she’s sent our way… And I’m starting to think these mysterious 5 pounds are likely a result of the 4 loaves of banana bread we’ve baked and eaten in the last month…) So needless to say, banana bread was out of the question. I thought of pancakes (the hubby likes pancakes) but that’s boring (sorry babe). Looking for something more adventurous to bake, I turned (as I always do) to my favorite blog: Smitten Kitchen. There I found a gem of a recipe (as I always do) for these double coconut muffins. Per Deb’s recommendation, I swapped the yogurt for banana (considering the circumstances and our household’s perpetual lack of yogurt). Still wanting to give the recipe my own flair, a quick scroll through my Instagram feed revealed that today of all days is National Rum Day (who knew?). Well, there was my answer. We just so happened to have some Appleton Rum in the cabinet (it’s a Jamaican house, people… there’s always rum). We also had coconut flour, so I mixed that in, too. Turns out, with the whole wheat and coconut flour, bananas, coconut and coconut oil, these are actually pretty healthy and overwhelmingly #hulkapproved!
Ok, ok… I’ve kept you waiting long enough. Here’s the recipe:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 cup mashed banana
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dark rum
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and allspice until combined. Stir in ½ cup shredded coconut.
- In a small bowl, mash 2 medium bananas (don't worry if there are a few small clumps) and mix in the coconut oil, egg, sugar and rum, stirring until combined. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until incorporated.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, about 1 tablespoon or so in each. Sprinkle the remaining shredded coconut on the top of each muffin and they're ready to bake! Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- When the muffins are done, take your toothpick and poke 4-5 small holes across the top of each one. Now... more rum! Carefully drizzle a few drops of rum over each muffin. They'll absorb it and really carry the rum flavor when you bite into them! I learned this technique from my Grandma Chickie, who graciously shared her black cake recipe with me (though there were no measurements whatsoever... only ingredients and a swift slap on the back of the head if I didn't get out of her way as she whirred through the kitchen. I love that lady!) Once that's done, they're ready to enjoy.